How to Measure for Fixed Seating (in Metres) and Get It Through the Door

Short answer: Measure every wall that will take seating at two heights (around 450 mm and 1,000 mm) and at both ends, in millimetres; record sills, radiators, sockets, skirting and panelling along the run; check whether the floor is level; and then survey the delivery route from the street to the room, noting the narrowest clear door opening, the tightest turn and any stairs. Seating is then built in sections sized to that route and joined on site.

Most problems with fixed seating are not about the seating. They are about a measurement taken once at floor level on a wall that leans, or a section that is ten centimetres too long to turn into a stairwell. This guide sets out the survey we ask for, step by step.

What you need

• A steel tape of at least 5 m, and ideally a laser measure.
• A spirit level of at least 1 m, or a laser level.
• Paper and pencil, or a phone with a sketching app.
• A camera. Take photographs of every wall with the tape visible in shot.
• For curved walls: a sheet of hardboard or card for a template, or a straight batten and a tape for offsets.

Always measure in millimetres. Writing "2.4" can mean metres, feet or a rough guess; "2,412 mm" cannot be misread.

Step 1: Measure each wall run

For every wall that will take seating:

1. Measure the length at about 450 mm high (seat height) and at about 1,000 mm high (top of a standard back). Old walls are rarely plumb; the two figures often differ by 10–20 mm.
2. Measure at both ends and in the middle if the run is long, to show whether the wall bows.
3. Note what happens at each end: an internal corner, an external corner, a door frame, a gangway, a chimney breast.
4. Measure the angle of any corner that is not a clean 90 degrees. A simple method: mark 1,000 mm along each wall from the corner and measure the diagonal between the marks. At exactly 90 degrees, the diagonal is about 1,414 mm.

Step 2: Record everything on the wall

Seating has to fit around the room's existing features. Measure the position of each from a fixed point, usually the left-hand end of the run:

Photograph each feature with the tape held against it.

Step 3: Check the floor

Lay a level along the line where the seating will sit, and across it. Note any fall in millimetres per metre, and any step, threshold or change of floor finish. Old pub floors frequently fall towards a cellar, drain or front door. Small falls can be taken up with adjustable feet; see our Old-Floor Levelling Booth. Larger falls may need a plinth built to suit.

Also note the floor construction (timber boards, concrete, stone, tiles over screed), since it decides how seating is fixed.

Step 4: Curves, bays and odd shapes

For a curved wall or a bay window, a full-size template is the most reliable record. Tape hardboard or card to the floor along the wall, scribe the wall line onto it, and mark a straight reference line. Alternatively, fix a straight batten across the curve and measure the distance from batten to wall every 200–300 mm.

For a bay window, measure each face of the bay, each angle, and the sill height of each window.

Step 5: Survey the delivery route

This is the step most often skipped, and the one that causes the most expensive mistakes. Walk the route from where the vehicle will stop to the room where the seating goes, and record:

1. Every door: clear opening width (frame to frame, with the door open, minus any door leaf that does not swing fully back) and clear height.
2. Every corridor: width, and the length available to turn a long piece.
3. Every stair: width, headroom, and whether there is a half landing or a winder.
4. Any lift: internal width, depth and height, and door opening.
5. Any obstacles: handrails, radiators, low beams, bar counters.

Standard UK internal door leaves are commonly 762 mm or 838 mm wide, with a clear opening noticeably less once the frame and the door thickness are accounted for. Many older pubs have narrower doors on cellar and staircase routes.

How long can a section be?

A piece can often be tipped on end or carried diagonally to clear a doorway, so the critical dimensions are frequently the depth and height of the seat box rather than the length. We check the route against each section on the drawing. Systems such as our Truline Section System and Doorway Two-Part Booth are designed for difficult routes.

Step 6: Send us the survey

Send the measurements, sketches and photographs, along with the covers you need, the style you have in mind and any fire specification your assessor has set. We return a dimensioned drawing showing each section, joint and fixing, for you to check against the room before anything is made.

Checklist

• [ ] Wall lengths at 450 mm and 1,000 mm, both ends, in millimetres
• [ ] Corner angles checked
• [ ] Skirting, dado, panelling, sills, radiators, sockets and vents recorded
• [ ] Floor level and construction noted
• [ ] Curves templated or offset-measured
• [ ] Every door, corridor, stair and lift on the route measured
• [ ] Photographs of every wall and the route, with tape in shot
• [ ] Covers, style and fire specification confirmed

Common mistakes

• Measuring at floor level only. Skirting and leaning walls change the length at seat and back height.
• Rounding. "About 3 metres" is not a measurement. Record millimetres.
• Ignoring radiator valves. A booth that covers a valve has to be taken out to bleed a radiator.
• Measuring the door leaf, not the clear opening. The clear opening is what the seating has to pass through.
• Forgetting the stair landing. A section that fits up a straight flight may not turn on a half landing.
• Assuming the floor is level. Even a modest fall over a long run opens visible gaps at the joints.

How fixed seating is fitted

Wall runs are usually fixed with concealed cleats or brackets into the wall structure and bolted section to section. Freestanding back-to-back booths are fixed to the floor. In listed buildings, discuss fixing positions with your conservation officer first. Our drawings show suggested fixing positions, and your shopfitter or joiner adapts them to your walls and floors. Browse banquette runs to see how sections join.

FAQ

Should I measure in metres or millimetres?

Millimetres. Seating is made to millimetre tolerances and joinery drawings in the UK are dimensioned in millimetres.

How much clearance should I leave at each end of a run?

Allow about 5–10 mm at each end against a wall, which is covered by a scribe or trim on site. Your drawing will show the allowance.

Can you build seating to fit an alcove exactly?

Yes. Measure the alcove at seat height and back height, at the front and the back, and photograph it. We build to those measurements.

What if our door is very narrow?

Tell us the clear opening and the route. We can split the seating into shorter sections, make backs removable, or reduce the seat box depth on the route-critical sections.

Do you come and measure?

We work from your survey or your shopfitter's. We are happy to talk you through measuring by video call, and to check your figures before drawing.